Recommmended mastic for trestle coating bead foam bodies

[RLLigman]

I was handed 18 bead foam divers with good wood bottom boards, Herters 72 heads and Herters cast keel weights. I would like to trestle coat these with mastic/burlap for their owner as a summer project prior his return to the UP this fall to hunt. Never burlapped a decoy, so I am looking for some guidance from those who have. Thanks!

 

[David Clites]

I've never done it either but first thing I would do is look on YouTube (EX :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oelpgjSkMNs


Seems like Titebond is used by a lot of folks and being water-based cleanup might be easier than some but not all mastics.


Have fun, sounds like some very good starter materials you have there.

 

[Carl]

I used left over water based premixed mastic from Home Depot, came in a 5 gallon bucket. They sell 1 gallon too. Cured quick and hard.

 

[Josh Schwenger]

I too have used the Home Depot 1 gallon mastic with great results. I liked a bondo type spreader for removing the excess. Also when I'm done I have a 1 gallon dry box.

 

[Bill Burruss]

+1 on the ready mix mastic from a big box store. I used AcrylPro over landscape burlap from the garden section. 2 coats- fist to bond to the foam and saturate the burlap. 1st coat starts out over the foam and fills any voids, but should not be too thick as it adds unneeded weight and wastes material. Immediately lay the burlap over the decoy and work it into the mastic. You will probably need to add more mastic to saturate the top side of the burlap, but don't fill the burlap weave pattern. Let dry then lightly sand with coarse sandpaper to knock off any bumps or big burlap fuzzies. Follow up with one more light coat of mastic and you have a rock hard decoy that really holds the paint once dry. Never tried a squeegee to spread the mastic, just wore nitrile gloves and worked it by hand. A lot of people use Kilz primer as the first paint over the mastic.

v/r
Bill


These are probably at the 1st coat stage. The ones with the hen Redhead heads attached are ready for paint.

View attachment DSCN2572 (2016_07_11 19_41_28 UTC).JPGView attachment DSCN2573 (800x600) (2016_07_11 19_41_28 UTC).jpg

 

[Carl]

Never tried a squeegee to spread the mastic, just wore nitrile gloves and worked it by hand. A lot of people use Kilz primer as the first paint over the mastic.

Same here on both!

 

[BRUCE LUDWIG]

Happy New Year to all!
True Trestle was corn cob ground up.
I have been using Walnut shell from Harbor Freight on all my foamers.
Apply a coat of TiteBond-3 (make sure it's #3), then apply your walnut shell.
allow to dry a few days, then coat again with TiteBond. NO second coat of walnut(gets very heavy).

I think you will really like the texture when dry. The walnut shell makes a great gripper in icy conditions, too.
I had some burlap, but very much prefer the walnut shell method.

good luck whichever way you go!

Bruce

 

[Bill Burruss]

Bruce,
Looks like HF has 2 grades of walnut shell. Do you use coarse or fine?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[BRUCE LUDWIG]

I use the fine shell from HF.
I think the coarse is just too big, but could be personal preference.

 

[john f skipper]

If you don?t have a HF in your area go to a pet store and pick up lizard litter it?s a fine walnut shells. It works great.